Feeding theWorld – The Contribution of IFOAM Principles - Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World - page 86

harm to nature and any active defrauding of relationships. Together, these value-
oriented characteristics of the IFOAM Principles should have consequences on
food security. The following tables introduce how the IFOAM Principles can be
applied to assessing the quantitative impact of organic on food supply, processing,
distribution and consumption (see also Padel et al. 2007 , pp. 15-22; IFOAM 2012 ,
pp. 9-12) (Tables 5.1 , 5.2 , 5.3 , and 5.4 ).

Table 5.1 The IFOAM Principles and food supply
Impact on food supply

Specific quantitative impact

Health
Sustain and enhance soil health Increase of productivity; risk reduction while

droughts and floods

Avoid inputs that create health risks in
production

Increase of high water quality

Conserve/enhance fertile soils and clean water Increase of long term productivity

Assure animal health through preventive
health care

Reduction of food losses through diseases or
low quality or contaminations

Offer diverse, high quality, nutritious and
healthy food

Increase of animal life-time achievement

Adopt appropriate technologies
Ecology
Protect an ecologically sound environment Reduction of Input losses

Establish an efficient and ecologically
oriented management of material, resources
and energy

Increase of crop yields

Reuse uncontaminated inputs Increase of food production

Increase species and genetic diversity;
contributes to improved, long-term soil
productivity and reduced production risks

Increase of food safety

Recycle and reinvest any organic matter,
nutrients and energy, to enhance phosphorus
availability
Fairness
Act fairly with respect to environmental and
life opportunities, equity, respect, justice and
stewardship

Facilitating best growth conditions, and
avoiding any plant losses

Respect animal needs, behavior, and well
being that contributes to animal health

Increase of animal production

Care
Prevent risks by adopting appropriate
technologies and rejecting unpredictable ones

Reduction of soil damages, e.g. soil
compaction with positive impact on plant
growth

Avoid any soil, plant, animal, air, water or
food contamination

Reducing food losses over the long-term

Responsible product pricing to assure survival
of small scale ecologically sound production
units

Increase of accessibility of food for poor
population